Home Remedy Cures for TMJ Disorder

Habits can be difficult to break, can’t they? They become a part of your daily routine – sometimes at a young age – to the point where it seems like you do things without even knowing why we do them. If you’re suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), your daily habits might very well be the reasons you’re still in a lot of pain.

I want to spend some time today showing you some of the best home remedy cures for TMJ disorder. Remedies for TMJ pain don’t have to include time-consuming visits to doctors or pain medications laden with side effects. By simply making some simple additions and subtractions to your day-to-day habits, you’ll begin feeling better instantly.

Cures for TMJ Pain Starts in the Morning

Ah, the morning. The birds are chirping. The coffee is brewing. The sun is making its way over the horizon. And your TMJ and neck pain are killing you. This is why the very first thing you should do in the morning – after brushing your teeth, of course – is to drink 16 ounces of water. Hydration is key for helping your muscles relax. If you’re dehydrated then you run the risk of your muscles tightening up. Once that happens the pain in your jaw, neck, and shoulders will really start to bother you.

Here’s another important note regarding your morning routine. Go easy on the coffee. Caffeine will counter the positive effects of the water you consumed. Trying cutting back on the amount you drink or at least do half-caf/half decaf if possible.

Lunchy Munchy!

Now that you’ve had your morning water (and hopefully not too much coffee), it’s time to do get your body moving. There are two approaches you can take here:

Doing yoga to relieve TMJ pain, is my personal favorite. There’s nothing more relaxing for your muscles than slowly reaching and stretching and bending your body inside of a room heated to over 100 degrees (if you’re doing Bikram Yoga, that is). It’s the ultimate muscle relaxer without all the side effects of harmful drugs!

You often won’t have time to spend inside a yoga studio. When this happens, simple TMJ stretches can work wonders. Whether it’s the basic act of opening your mouth and slowly moving your jaw from left to right, massaging your TMJ joint with your pointer finger, or even pulling downwards gently on your neck to ease the tension in those muscles, stretching is an amazing home remedy.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of Breathing Exercises)

So now you’re at the end of your busy day. Maybe you’ve finished your nightly routine of laundry, dinner, and putting the kids to bed. The last thing you want is to wake up the next day feeling stressed. That’s why it’s a great idea to do breathing exercises before you hit the hay. Breathing exercises – basically meditation – will help you with any anxiety or stress you encounter throughout the day or are anticipating the following. Simply clear your mind, focus on the sound of your body as you take very deep breaths, and watch your tension slowly melt away.

Using TMJ home remedies are far and away the best way to fight this awful disorder. If you have any home remedies you’ve incorporated into your daily routine, please feel free to share them in the comments below. We’d love to hear about them!